Hamilton, Bradley send Rangers past Indians

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, June 2, 2008

Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley hit consecutive homers to set the tone in a four-run first inning and the Texas Rangers went on to a 12-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Hamilton went deep in his career-high fourth straight game one out after Ian Kinsler led off with a single to extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games. Hamilton's two-run drive gave him 17 homers and 67 RBIs, tops in the AL in both categories.

Bradley followed with his first of two homers, going back-to-back with Hamilton for the second time this season to help the Rangers end a two-game skid and return to .500 (30-30). Bradon Boggs added an RBI single against Tom Mastny (0-1), making his first major league start after 68 career relief appearances.

Mastny struggled through a 37-pitch first inning and lasted only 1 1-3 innings, allowing five runs and six hits. Mastny was replacing Jake Westbrook, who went on the disabled list Monday with an inflamed right elbow.

Frank Francisco (1-1) allowed one run and one hit in 1 2-3 innings.

Rangers rookie A.J. Murray, called up from Triple-A Oklahoma to make his second major league start, exited in the third inning with a left rotator cuff strain. The Rangers said Murray would be out seven to 10 days and would then be re-evaluated.

Bradley's solo shot in a three-run eighth extended Texas' lead to 12-6.

Texas' David Murphy had a homer among his four hits, lacking a triple for the cycle. Jarrod Saltalamacchia also connected for the Rangers, whose five homers gave them an AL-best 73.

Murray didn't allow a run in the first two innings, but the Indians loaded the bases with nobody out in the third, then got an RBI single from Ben Francisco. After Ryan Garko was retired on a pop-up, Rangers trainers and manager Ron Washington hurried to the mound where Murray told them he was unable to continue.

Frank Francisco came on to get two outs, escaping the bases-loaded jam.

Texas increased its lead to 8-2 in the fifth on Kinsler's sacrifice fly and Michael Young's RBI double.

Young stretched his hitting streak to 19 games, longest in the AL this season and second-longest of his career behind a 25-gamer in 2005.

Pinch hitter Shin-shoo Choo had a two-run double in the seventh and a solo homer in the ninth. Ryan Garko's RBI groundout in the eighth made it 9-6.

Notes:@ Garko had three hits. … The Rangers' record for consecutive games with a homer is seven by Kevin Mench in April of 2006. … Texas was outscored 26-17 in its two previous games. … Kinsler's stolen base in the second was his 22nd straight without being caught dating to 2007, with 16 coming this season. … Cleveland C Victor Martinez was out of the starting lineup for the second time in three games to protect his sore left hamstring. He walked as a pinch hitter in the seventh.